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Food History

Detail of photograph by Eadweard Muybridge

When California Went to War Over Eggs

As the Gold Rush brought more settlers to San Francisco, battles erupted over another substance of a similar hue: the egg yolks of a remote seabird colony

Swiss Miss sells more than 50 million boxes every year

Charles Sanna’s Cocoa Packets Changed the Way We Drink Hot Chocolate

Sanna invented Swiss Miss, the first instant hot chocolate mix that could be made with hot water instead of milk

A recently uncovered thermopolia in the ruins of Pompeii.

Trending Today

Recently Uncovered Thermopolium Reminds Us That Romans Loved Fast Food as Much as We Do

Similar snack counters dug up throughout Pompeii were once destinations for on-the-go Romans looking for a quick bite

Jennifer Levasseur from the National Air and Space Museum notes that the museum’s supply of popular astronaut foods is less comprehensive than its collection of rejects. “We only get what they didn’t eat (above: Apollo 17's spiced fruit cereal is now in the collections)."

Rita Rapp Fed America’s Space Travelers

NASA’s food packages now in the collections of the Air and Space Museum tell the story of how a physiologist brought better eating to outer space

New Research

Stonehenge Pig Roasts Drew People From All Over Neolithic Britain

Isotopic analysis of pig bones in feasting sites near the monument show people were traveling as far as Scotland with their own pigs

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Six Ways to Experience Bermuda’s Swirling Cultures

Bermuda’s myriad of cultural influences is reflected in everything from historic buildings to food.

New Research

Beer Yeast Is a True International Collaboration

A new study looking at the genomics of brewer’s yeast indicates it’s a combination of European grape wine and Asian rice wine strains

Trending Today

Italy May Need to Import Olive Oil After Extreme Weather Decimates Local Crops

This year’s harvest is down 57 percent, and may force the nation to import its treasured olive oil from other parts of the Mediterranean

"A New Yorker in the snow this afternoon carrying what seems like ... iced coffee? #OnlyInNYC #BundleUpNY," @nycgov tweeted on January 30.

Pop History

What’s the Deal With Ordering Iced Coffee in the Winter?

A hot take, if you will, on the iced trend

An Appreciation of Küchle, My Family’s Deep-Fried Dough Tradition for Fat Tuesday

Avoid a grease fire. Support a local bakery.

Women have graced coinage since the third century B.C.

Who Was the First Woman Depicted on Currency and More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

The Patents Behind Your Box of Valentine’s Day Chocolates

Before you sample a truffle or a coconut cream, consider all of the innovation that has been poured into the sweets and their lovely presentation

Vomiting and higher levels of perceived drunkenness were linked with more severe hangovers

Whether You Drink Beer Before Wine or Vice Versa, You’ll Probably Still Get a Hangover

90 volunteers downed copious amounts of alcohol in the name of science

Paella, a national favorite in Spain, is a hearty dish prominently featuring two of Linford's Seven Wonders—rice and tomato. It may be seasoned with salt and chili flakes as well.

The Mouthwatering History of Seven Fundamental Foodstuffs

A new Smithsonian book whisks readers on a culinary odyssey, tracing the history of salt, pork, honey, chili, tomato, rice and chocolate

An image of the true U.S. pizza king Filippo Milone in the May 9, 1903 issue of the Italian-language newspaper Il Telegrafo.

Cool Finds

The Father of American Pizza Is Not Who We Thought He Was

New research suggests pizza came to the U.S. earlier than 1905, spread by pizza evangelist Filippo Milone

The Necco candy factory used to produce piles of Sweethearts.

The Pharmacist Who Launched America’s Modern Candy Industry

Oliver Chase invented a lozenge-cutting machine that led to Necco wafers, Sweethearts and the mechanization of candy making

Charred residue containing evidence of beer making.

Cool Finds

Oldest Evidence of British Beer Found in Highway Dig

Charred residues show cracked grain and starch molecules likely used as part of a beer brewing session in 400 B.C.

Cool Finds

3,000-Year-Old Quinoa Found in Ontario

The batch of charred grain is the farthest north a now-extinct version of the crop has been found

Two new studies document the myriad of threats facing Earth's 124 wild coffee species

More Than Half of All Coffee Species Are at Risk of Extinction

The popular Arabica bean, used in such rich blends as Java, is amongst the species threatened by climate change, deforestation

Joseph Lee received a patent for his automated kneading machine in August 1894.

The National Inventors Hall of Fame Announces Its 2019 Inductees

Joseph Lee, inventor of the automatic bread and breadcrumb makers, was posthumously honored alongside 18 other men and women

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